


The Dark End Of The Street

by neb_may



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: Angst, Cheating, F/M, Fluff, Might also have some smut later lol, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, Wingman Roger, secret romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-18
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-01-16 00:52:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18510580
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neb_may/pseuds/neb_may
Summary: You meet a handsome stranger in a pub. After a few drinks, sparks fly and you ache to see him again.Problem is, you're both already in seperate relationships.





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimers:  
> \- This is entirely fictional. I'm sure Chrissie is an absolutely lovely lady, it's just convenient for the plot to make her a bitch, this is not meant to shade the actual person in any way, shape or form.  
> \- If you're sensitive about the topic of cheating and stuff, maybe don't read this.

It had been a slow day at work for you. Working at a book shop had it’s perks, it was lovely, actually. But it seemed like people didn’t want to read books anymore. If they did, the little store you helped friends of the family out in was not the place to go for that.  
  
You had arrived at your favourite bar five minutes ago. The bartender, Jackson handed you your drink, although you hadn’t even ordered. He knew you already, you were a frequent customer and you’d had countless drunk conversations with him. “Thanks, Jack” you smiled and he nodded politely. “No problemo” he grinned and dried a glass with a towel. “Where’s Brad today?”  
  
Seeing the frown on your face, he nodded again, he understood. You had gotten in a fight with your boyfriend the evening before and needed to take your mind off it. Fights happened frequently between you and your significant other. “I don’t even know what his problem was” you explained and took a big gulp of your Basil Smash. Jackson frowned as well. “Are you sure you want to stay with him?” he asked, and you sighed. “He’s not a bad guy, you know?” you defended him, the bartender raising one eyebrow.  
  
“If you say so” he shrugged and turned to give his attention to other patrons. The pub didn’t have many customers, but a few ones visited every single evening. Most of them middle aged men. They seemed to serve every cliché about drunkards. Rowdy and sexually frustrated, their beards neither shaved nor even taken care of. You had heard at least three fourths of them talk about their failing marriages. Was that why you were here, too? Were you one of them, annoying Jack with the never changing tale of but-i-can’t-just-break-ups. Why else would you all be here on the regular instead of your lover’s arms?  
  
“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” a voice disrupted your thoughts and you blink in its direction. A tall man had approached you. He had dark, curly hair that reached over his shoulders, hazel eyes and the most beautiful hands you had ever seen, resting on the back of the barstool he was referring to.

“Uuh, no, go right ahead” you gestured beside you, giving him the permission to sit down. With a smile, he nodded at you and sat down. As you looked around you noticed there were two or three more chairs he could have taken. After all, the pub was really small. There were about three tables apart from the bar itself, and those were indeed taken already.  
  
“I’ve never seen you here” you comment. If he was already sitting beside you, you might as well make some small talk. He grinned and looked down at the menu shyly. “Yeah, it’s my first time here” he remarked and ordered some beer from the bartender, who looked at you with an expression you couldn’t quite interpret. You tilted your head at him, and he grinned back, gesturing to the man beside you with his eyes. Blushing, you shook your head. Now you knew what he was trying to say. But you wouldn’t just flirt with someone, just like that. You were taken, weren’t you?  
  
“My name’s Y/N, by the way” you introduce yourself and reached out your hand. He smiled wide and shook it. “Brian, my friends call me Bri” he told you.  
  
“Well, then, _Bri_ , what do you do for a living? I mean- if it’s okay to ask” you added as Jackson placed the pint of beer in front of Brian and he thanked him, taking a sip before answering. “Well, I’m studying Astrophysics at university right now” he explained, and you gasped, your eyes widening.  
  
“That’s so cool!” you exclaimed, and he seemed to blush a little at that.  
  
“It’s nothing to write home about” he said and looked down at his beverage, spinning it with his hands slowly. “Most of my friends don’t really care about it. They make fun of me for being such a nerd” he admitted and laughed quietly, although you could hear some genuine disappointment in his voice.  
  
“Are you kidding?” you asked and laid one hand on his shoulder. The alcohol already started to show its effect. Normally, you would have been way to shy to touch people randomly. “I’m really interested in the stars! I’m just way too stupid to actually study it” you laughed, and his face lit up. “But I do read some books on it when I work at the bookshop a few roads down.”  
  
“Really?” He sounded like he couldn’t believe someone else would share his interests. “Really!” you repeated, “Could you tell me a bit about it?” You were genuinely interested in what Brian had to say. His eyes lighting up at this interaction was already starting to turn into the sweetest sight you’d ever seen.  
  
“Sure!” he beamed at you and gestured to Jackson, who looked at you smugly as he walked over to the both of you. “What would you like to drink?” Brian asked, gesturing at your already emptied glass. “O-oh, umm” you stuttered and grinned a little yourself. It was nice, having a man buy you a drink for once. Brad didn’t really do that anymore. “Just get me another one, Jack” you ask of your acquaintance, who just nodded, not wanting to ruin the moment for you. As he prepared another cocktail, you took one strand of hair and tucked it behind your ear.  
  
“Thank you” you mutter bashfully, making brief eye contact with him. He was really handsome, but you tried to shake those thoughts off. You couldn’t. You wouldn’t. Brian shook his head. “You don’t have to thank me” he assured you. Jackson gave you your drink and left the two of you alone again.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Oh shit” you gasped as you looked at the clock. Brian had been telling you as much as you could understand about astronomy and you had completely forgotten the time. Most of the pub’s patrons had already left and Jackson was already cleaning all the glasses, looking ready to close the establishment. “It’s 2am already, I need to go to work early tomorrow” you whine and slapped your forehead.  
  
“Oh dear, I’m so sorry” he apologized. “I got carried away, I must have bored you to death.”  
You shook your head. “No, no, quite the opposite, actually” you tried to conciliate him with a genuine smile, followed by a hiccup, which left you embarrassed. He had bought you quite a few drinks during his lecture. Amused by this, he laughed and reached you your coat, which you took with a little “Thanks”.  
  
The air was unbelievably cold as you stepped out. It was the beginning of spring and you had only packed a light woollen coat when it was still warm outside. But now the little holes in the knitted material made you shiver a bit.  
  
“Here, wait a second” he said and took of his rainbow scarf that he had just put on. You blushed as he wrapped it around your neck. “You really don’t have to-“you began but he waved you off. “Nonsense, Y/N, I couldn’t live with myself if you got a cold because of me” he explained, and you looked down at the ground. How sweet of him, you really weren’t used to a man caring about your well-being like this.  
  
“But how will you ever get it back?” you noticed, and he frowned, thinking about it.  
  
“Well, how about I walk you back home and you can give it back to me then?” he suggested, and your eyes widened just a slight bit. “I mean, it’s my fault you’re coming home so late, I’d like to make sure you’re making it there safely at least.” Wow, you thought to yourself. You couldn’t help but look away as the blood rushed into your cheeks. Then again, it was dark, so he probably couldn’t see it anyway. Thinking of it, looking away like this must have made your abashment even more obvious.

“W-well, uh-“you stuttered, immediately regretting not thinking before talking. “I-if you insist, I’d appreciate it.” The man nodded at you, his curls bouncing with the motion. You had to concentrate to not lose yourself in this view. To not think about how handsome he looked. Subconsciously you grabbed his scarf that was around your neck and fidgeted with it. At that he giggled quietly and put his hands into his pockets. Shit, he had noticed.  
  
“Well, our- _my_ flat is about five minutes this way.” You cursed to yourself in your mind as you pointed in the direction your home was in. Why were you lying to him? Why were you lying about living alone? You had lived with Brad for about three months now. Ever since then, fights had been a regularity. After the current fight, he had left to go live with his mom for the week. But you still loved him, right? What did you care if your new acquaintance knew that you were in a relationship or not?  
  
Brian was awfully quiet while you walked through the dimly lit park. It was awkward and you wondered if you had said something wrong. “So” you tried to break the god-awful silence. “I hope you don’t have to walk home very far when I’m home, I’m sorry for being such an inconvenience.” You laughed apologetically and tugged another strand of hair behind your ear, a nervous tick of yours. In the dark, you could make out his head of curls shaking. “No, it’s fine, really. My girlfriend’s flat is in this direction as well, I’m probably going to crash there.”  
  
Oh. _Oh._ The blush that had warmed your face in the cold spring air disappeared, you must have looked like a ghost. So he had a girlfriend. You couldn’t quite place the feeling you had in the pit of your stomach. You shouldn’t care, It was alright, you were in a relationship as well. For some reason, that exact thought seemed so strange to you now. Why had you felt so much better with this man you just met than with your boyfriend of three years?  
  
“Are you alright, love?” he asked, you must have been quiet for longer than usual. You felt the effect of the alcohol wearing off, leaving you a bit anxious and shyer than before. The name he called you made you twitch slightly.  
  
“Oh, um, of course!” you tried to make your embarrassed little laugh sound as genuine as possible. Just then, you arrived at your place. You had to end this as fast as possible, judging by the feeling in your stomach, your confusion made you feel quite nauseous.  
  
“We’re here. Thank you so much for everything, Brian. I had a lot of fun, really!” you rushed your goodbye. “Well, gotta go. Bye, get home safely!” You practically ran into the building, not leaving him any chance to react. As you arrived at the door to your apartment, you gasped. You still had the scarf on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A handsome stranger invites you to a band practise, leading to a big surprise.

You swept the dust off a book cover before placing it into the shelf gently. The sun shone right into the window of the book store and you took a deep breath. It smelled like books and coffee from the break room behind the counter.  
  
“Here you go”, you heard behind you and smiled as you turned to see your best friend, Dawn, reach you a cup. She was the daughter of the shopkeepers, who were long time friends of your own parents. “Thank you!” you chirped, taking the coffee in your hands, sipping on it. Just the way you liked it, milk and two sugars.  
  
“Mum said you could take a break for the next hour now” your friend reported. Shrugging, you wrapped both of your hands around the mug. She frowned and tilted her hand. “What’s wrong? Don’t you want to go home for that?”  
  
The shop was in the same street as your flat, but you just shook your head, looking to the ground, upset. “Brad and I had a fight” you explained, making Dawn sigh. “Again?” She looked upset as well. “Y/N, I really don’t think this is going to work between the two of you.”  
You stayed silent and lifted one hand off your cup to put one strand of hair behind your ear again.  
  
“I know” you admitted. “But I just can’t bring myself to talk to him about it.”  
  
“Well, that’s a thing you’ll have to decide for yourself” she agreed and laid one hand on your shoulder, smiling softly. “I just want you to be happy, Y/N. I genuinely think someone else might be better for you” she explained, looking sorry for you. You nodded, your heart stinging suddenly. Running your nails across the mug nervously, you thought back to last night.  
  
“If only the good ones weren’t all taken” you tried to giggle jokingly, but your best friend since kindergarten saw right through you. Her eyes widened.  
  
“Who is it?” she practically screamed, and you shushed her. Not everyone had to know about this. Dawn bounced from one leg to another and you blushed.  
  
“I don’t really know” you admitted and took a big sip from your coffee. “His name is Brian, that’s all I know. Besides, it doesn’t matter” you added and went towards the break room, “He’s got a girlfriend, too.”  
  
She frowned. “Tell me about him, Y/N! I want to know what he was like at least.”  
  
Right as you took a short breath to begin, the bell rang to signal someone was coming in. This took you by surprise, it was still fairly early, nine in the morning. What surprised the two of you even more was the man who strolled into the book shop. He was extremely handsome, and you saw Dawn’s mouth almost dropping to the ground. His blonde hair hung over his shoulders as his big, blue, kind of droopy eyes darted across the magazine section beside the counter. When he looked like he couldn’t quite find what he was looking for, Dawn cleared her throat.  
  
“Looking for anything specific, handsome stranger?” she grinned, and you stood in awe of her boldness. How could she just flirt with someone right off the hat? The man smiled back smugly, showing an infectious, beautiful smile.  
  
“Well, I was looking for the new issue of Creem” he explained, pointing to the shelf, where he seemed to be kind of lost. His smile became even wider when Dawn walked over and bent down, very slowly, to get the item from the very bottom shelf. You put your elbow on the counter and rested your chin on your fist. Wondering if he really hadn’t found it until then, you watched the scene unfold.  
  
“Rock ‘N’ Roll, huh?” your friend commented, looking at the cover of the magazine. It showed Led Zeppelin, which happened to be one of the bands you were both into. He took it from her hands and nodded excitedly. “Yeah! I’m in a band myself, you know?”  
  
This was all it needed to get Dawn to fall. “Really?” she squeaked, her long blonde hair bouncing with her excited jumps. She was gorgeous, you were sure she could have him if she wanted. And you could clearly see she wanted him. They introduced themselves and talked a bit. Good for her, you thought and were about to retreat to the back room to give them some private time. It was your break, anyway.  
  
“We’re going to practise a bit at the recording studio tonight, actually” he informed her and shot her a smug grin, then looking at you. Confused, you stopped and listened in, you couldn’t help it. “If you want, I’d love to take you.” Of course, your friend agreed, giddy as all hell. She looped her arm into yours and pulled you a bit closer again. “But I’ll only go if I can bring Y/N!” she insisted and the man you heard introduce himself as Roger laughed before nodding. “Sure, you are more than welcome to join, too, Y/N. I was just about to invite you as well” he said with a wink and you weren’t quite sure what he was trying to say.  
  
“Cool” you smiled and grabbed some clothes for outside. “I’ll leave the two of you alone for a moment, I’ll go grab a bite for lunch.” Dawn shot you a grateful look and nodded.  
  
As you opened the door, you heard Roger say: “Oh, by the way, Y/N!” You turned around and he gave you a sly smile.  
  
“Nice scarf.”  
  
\----------------------------------------------------  
  
“Who are you putting all that makeup on for?” Dawn teased as she came into the bathroom of your flat, where you were preparing to go to the recording studio. The little sticky note that Roger had written the address on was completely worn out from your friend fiddling with it so much. You could tell how much she wanted this guy, and you were not going to let her pass this chance. Dawn was completely fine with the occasional one-night stand, which you were not judging.  
  
“Well, hadn’t _you_ roped me into this, I wouldn’t have to put it on” you laughed as you carefully combed mascara through your eyelashes.  
  
“Wanna look good for the guys there?” she grined and you nudged her. “Absolutely not” you denied her accusation, blushing profusely. “I _do_ still have a boyfriend, you know.” It sure didn’t feel like it though. But it started to matter less and less to you.  
  
“Well, there’s nothing wrong with checking out the menu” she defended herself and took a lipliner from your vanity, correcting the line of her red lipstick. “Maybe you’ll find another one like _Brian_ ” she suggested, wiggling her eyebrows while saying his name.  
  
“By the way” you said, trusting her enough to tell her about yesterday, “the scarf I wore today is his.” Dawn’s head jolted towards you, almost messing up her lipstick. “No way!” she gasped, and you held up your arms defensively. “I forgot to give it back to him.”  
  
“You’ll have to see him again then!” she squealed, bouncing again. You laughed at her fun little antics and shrugged.  
  
“I have absolutely no way of contacting him” you sighed, pausing to apply a peachy nude lipstick. “Even if I did, I don’t know if I can see him again without-“ You interrupted yourself and you felt your friend’s curious eyes pierce through you. You sighed loudly.  
  
“Without accidentally falling for him” you mumbled and felt a slap on your arm.  
  
“You need to see him again, Y/N!” she encouraged loudly, and you blushed.  
  
“I don’t know, Dawn.”  
  
\--------------------------------------------  
  
Dawn knocked at the door to the building the studio was in. The knocks sounded just like her heels clicking on the floor when you walked there. Not really sure why, you adjusted your clothes before anyone could open the door. You were wearing a short black lace dress with some skin toned see-through tights and some black ankle boots. Normally, you would have chosen to go with something less revealing, but Dawn had talked you into it. She had also convinced you to pair the black outfit with a splash of color, meaning you had to wear the rainbow scarf.  
  
The door opened and there Roger stood. His shirt was open, revealing his chest. At that, Dawn had to let out a tiny gasp, making Roger eye her intensely. You rolled your eyes at that. Why did you agree to come with her, you were going to be the fifth wheel anyway.  
  
Roger led the both of you into the recording booth. Two men were there, too. Both of them were long haired, one looked kind of foreign. He stood up with his arms wide open. “Wow, Roggie, two absolute beauties you’ve picked up today!” he giggled at the blonde man, who was grinning smugly while picking up some drumsticks. So he was a drummer. “I’m almost jealous, did you leave her for me?” The man beamed and laid one arm around you. You blushed and stood stiffly.  
  
“I’m just taking the piss, my dear” he giggled when he noticed you tensing up. He grabbed your hand and gave it a little peck. “I’m Freddie” he introduced himself and you laughed embarrassedly. “Y/N” you answered before Freddie turned his attention towards Dawn. The other man, who had been fiddling with his bass guitar until now, smiled gently and shook your hand as well. “John” he simply said, and you smiled at him. He seemed calm and nice. “Nice to meet you, I’m Y/N.”  
  
The door behind you opened and in came a gorgeous, blonde woman. She was short and skinny and had beautiful eyes, although she looked annoyed walking into the room. A hand was attached to hers and you followed the arm to look at who was with her. When your eyes met familiar hazel orbs your heart stood still and you gasped.  
  
Brian.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get awkward as you get to know Brian's girlfriend and witness a fight between them.

You couldn’t tell whose eyes were wider right now. He looked at you in shock, his cheeks started to take on a pink tint. It must have taken only a few seconds, but it felt like an awkward eternity to you. He ever so slightly shook his head at you and you immediately understood. It seemed he didn’t want the beautiful girl attached to him to know you had met. With a little sting in your heart, you looked away from him, trying to act normal.  
  
“This is Brian” Roger introduced the tall man to Dawn first and turned around to shoot you a smug look. You tilted your head. Why did he look at you like that? Your friend’s head jolted in your direction and her eyes widened. You tried to make sure no one noticed the little nod you gave her. Clearing your throat to try and get the knot out of your throat that had started to build up, you reached for the girl’s hand. “Hi, I’m Y/N” you introduced yourself and she smiled at you, although her eyes were still full of bitterness. “My name is Chrissie, nice to meet you, Y/N.”  
  
Shit, you thought. She was so pretty and despite her seeming to be kind of upset, she seemed to be nice. Her hand felt soft and warm, you immediately let go. Roger laid a hand on your back, causing you to jump. You had almost forgotten there were other people in the room. “Y/N, this is our guitarist, Brian May” he informed and made you look at the curly haired man, with his perfect eyes and lips, that were slightly parted.  
  
“Pleased to meet you, Brian” you kept up the façade and also shook his hand. He just nodded quickly and looked to the ground, which made your heart ache. The feeling of when he first said he was taken crept up into your mind again. Your heart raced like crazy, you had to avert your eyes as well. It was all too much to handle. What a coincidence, seeing him right the day after you met him.  
  
“Well, my darlings” Freddie interrupted all of you, “Now that we all know each other, how about we start practicing?” John stood up immediately and made his way into the little soundproof booth with his bass guitar. So did Brian, he seemed like he couldn’t get in there fast enough with his red electric guitar.  
  
“Enjoy the show” Roger slung an arm around your friend and looked at her intensely again. They almost ate each other up with their glances. Their embrace lingered for a bit until Roger made his way to the drumset and sat down on it, looking at Dawn sometimes with a seductive smile. Chrissie let herself fall on the sofa in the control room and let out a huge sigh.  
  
“Are you okay, dear?” Dawn asked and sat down next to her. She looked at you worriedly. You could tell she was at a loss for what to do, too. There was no doubt in her mind you had just met the Brian you were talking about. She had never seen you look so uncomfortable.  
  
“He’s driving me crazy today” the beauty confided in the two of you and you slowly sat down on a little armchair across the other two girls. Your back faced the window to the recording booth, making it easier to try and ignore the man on the guitar just a few metres away from you.  
  
“Why is that?” you asked, and your voice was raspy from trying not to sob. Chrissie groaned again and threw her head back onto the back of the sofa. “He came to my house at like 2am tonight” she complained and rolled her eyes. “Woke me up in the middle of the night, saying he couldn’t get to his own home.”  
  
Dawn frowned and shot you a sheepish look. You looked down to hide your red face. You knew this was because of you, and you tried so hard not to make her notice. “But that’s kind of sweet, isn’t it?” your friend asked, faking a caring smile.  
  
“What? No!” Chrissie almost shouted. “He came home and just went to bed without even paying any attention to me!”  
  
Dawn’s eyebrows shot up at that. She tried not to look at you all the time, since that would have been way too obvious, but you could practically feel the pity she had with you right now. “What do you mean?” she asked.  
  
“Well, I think he could at least have had sex with me if he dares to wake me up that late, drunk as hell, but he didn’t even kiss me at all, still hasn’t until now” she whined and you had to resist every urge to hide your face in your hands.  
  
“Worst thing, he lost his scarf I gifted him for his birthday when he was out” she sighed, and your head jolted up. Luckily, you had hung the scarf on the rack at the entrance of the door right after stepping foot into the warm studio. You inhaled sharply and gathered all your courage to ask her. “Do you mean this one?” and pointed at it.  
  
“Oh god, yes! There it is!” she yelped and jumped up to inspect it. There was a hint of relief in her facial expression, as if she had feared he had lost it. Or given it away. As she fumbled with the scarf, you looked at Dawn. You mouthed a little ‘Help’ silently and she threw up her arms in defence. ‘How?’ she mouthed back, and you shook your head, shrugging. This was awful. Absolutely awful.  
  
Chrissie got back into her seat, seeming a little less tense now. After all of that out of the way, the three of you started some small talk to try and avert any attention off the topic of her boyfriend, before something your cover of innocence was blown. While talking, you got sadder and sadder at the fact she wasn’t all that bad at all. Sure, some of her views she revealed to you you didn’t agree with and even annoyed you a little, but overall, she didn’t seem like a bad person. _Fuck_. You had wished she were a total bitch, but the first impression made her look too good.  
  
“Alright, let’s take a break”, you heard John announce through the speakers, followed by the sounds of instruments being put away. Not long after that, the door flew open and Roger hurriedly walked to sit down and pull Dawn onto his lap, making her giggle in excitement. Brian rushed over to Chrissie and sat down, not touching her in any way, just sitting beside her. As his girlfriend tried to snuggle up to him, you saw him tense up a lot, his eyes darting to you more often than you’d liked. Although Chrissie should have understood he wasn’t comfortable, she leaned in for a kiss, making Brian frown and pull away before her lips could meet his.  
  
“What the fuck is wrong with you today?” she practically screamed at her boyfriend, really offended. “By the way” she nagged and stood up to stomp over to the rack. “You stupid _fuck_ forgot your scarf here. Lost it, my ass. You’re so dumb sometimes.” You sat on the little armchair in complete confusion. This was not at all the impression she had made before. She had seemed so nice, but the way she screamed at Brian made you cringe a little. Why was she so angry about this?  
  
“Chrissie, I-“ Brian only managed to get out a little whisper, but his girlfriend had already grabbed the handle of the door. “Don’t you dare come home to me tonight” she threatened and closed the door behind her. You heard the clicks of her heels storming off.  
  
“What a bitch”, Freddie commented, rolling his eyes into oblivion and John just shook his head. Roger had his arm around your friend, who was snuggling into his neck. He looked at you with that smug grin for the third time this day and let his eyes wander between you and Brian. “Quit it, Roger” you heard Brian hiss at him with a glare you couldn’t quite place. It was like he was trying to prevent the drummer from spilling a secret. The tall man sunk into the sofa and covered his face with his hands with an exhausted sigh.  
  
“Fuck her” Roger said to Brian, his voice uncharacteristically serious, “Break up already.” The guitarist shot him a bitter glare and let his gaze wander in your direction. You frowned and mouthed him a little ‘sorry’. Suddenly, his expression softened a little. He let out another groan, obviously frustrated.  
  
“I’m sorry, guys” he muttered, “I think I’m too upset to continue right now.” Freddie put his fists onto his hips. “Well, we’re going to practice with or without you, so do whatever you want.” Freddie tried to be sassy, but you could hear the worry in his tone.  
  
“Thanks” he murmured and stood up, taking his coat and stopping before taking the scarf. He looked at you and you looked to the ground immediately, blushing. “Y/N, could you come with me for a minute?” Your heart stopped, just to immediately beginning racing at the speed of light. “Uh- me? Why do-“  
  
“Please.” That was all it took. You stood up on shaky legs and looked at Dawn. She gave you a thumbs up before going back to making out with Roger. He took the scarf and led you out the door, closing it behind him. When you were outside and finally alone, you heard him breathe shakily.  
  
“Brian, I’m so sorry, I swear I didn’t-“  
  
“It’s okay, Y/N” he tried to appease you. “I didn’t even tell you I was in a band, there was no way you could have known.” He sighed. “I told Roger about you, I bet he set this up.” Brian fidgeted with the fabric of the scarf and your face heated up. He had told his friend about you. You tried to steady your breathing quietly before clearing your throat.  
  
“Well, I’m sorry I forgot to give you back the scarf, then” you apologized, making a little chuckle escape his lips, which made your heart soar immediately. You looked up at him and he seemed to have calmed down.  
  
“I should rather thank you for bringing it today and hanging it there, this is way easier to explain than why an unknown girl has it” he thought aloud and you nodded. “I guess you’re right” you said and looked back onto the ground. “So…” you heard Brian begin talking “why are you here? Did you plan on, you know…” The little pause he took made you look up at him, blushing heavily at what he was going to suggest. “I don’t know, did you both want to, uh… with Rog?”  
  
“Oh god, no, absolutely not, no no no” you defended yourself, covering your mouth in embarrassment. “I’m just looking out for my friend, I was not trying to… uh- I have-“  
  
“A boyfriend?” he completed your stuttering for you and it felt like your heart had dropped onto the ground. You should have figured he had noticed you were hiding this yesterday.  
  
“It’s, uh… complicated” you explained and rubbed your bare arms. It was night time and it was colder than yesterday. “We’re having a bit of a break right now” you disclosed and looked away. “I don’t think we’re going to get back together, you know?”  
  
“I understand” he mumbled and you shivered when he laid one hand on your arm. “You’re really cold, maybe you should go back inside.” He smiled at you with the same soft smile he had given you countless times the night before. You could have melted again right then and there.  
  
“How about I walk you home?” you asked bravely and his eyes widened at you mimicking his offer from last night. “I want to make sure you get home safely.”  
  
Now his chuckle was a lot more genuine and he smiled for real. The hand that was lingering on your arm shot up to scratch his neck nervously. “Well, if you insist, I’d like that.” Both of you had to chuckle now at the similarities of this evening to the one before.  
  
\----------------------------------------  
  
After you had put on your jacket and said goodbye to Dawn and the others, you were on your way to Brian’s place. “There’s a tram we can take” he offered but you shook your head. “Let’s just go for a nice walk” you smiled, and he nodded happily. You were so glad you could make him warm back up a little and smile like that again.  
  
“How long have you been with Chrissy?” you asked shyly, out of pure curiosity. He frowned. “About two years, I think.” You hummed and went back to saying nothing for a while. It wasn’t really uncomfortable, though. He was looking up at the stars while walking, trusting you to tell him if there was a crossroads or lantern pole ahead.  
  
“I think she shouldn’t have reacted that way” you disclose. You had gathered the courage to do so over the time you were walking. “I know it’s not my place, Bri, but does that happen often?”  
  
“All the time” he sighed, and you pressed your lips together, trying to look as neutral as you could, when in reality it hurt you to hear him say that. “I’m sorry about that” you mumbled and he shook his head. “I’m to blame, really, I-“  
  
“Don’t say that!” you interrupted him and he turned to you, a little perplexed. “Don’t say that, it’s not true.”  
  
“But if I-“  
  
“No, Bri, it’s the same for me!” You couldn’t bare for this amazing human being to be in that same stupid situation as you. He truly deserved so much better. He looked at you with a confused expression. “I don’t believe people either when they say he’s not good for me, but seeing her talk to you like this…” You sighed into the ground. “Look, I’ve only met you yesterday and I already know you’re way too good for that.”  
  
Brian stopped in his tracks, the look on his face getting more and more puzzled with every word you said. “Do you really think so?” he asked, genuine confusion in his voice. Nodding, you walked over to him. He let out a wispy breath. “I don’t really hear that often” he confessed and avoided eye contact.  
  
“You know what” you said and reached for your purse to pull out a pen you carried with you. The adrenaline you felt made you brave enough to take his hand and write a few digits on his palm. “Whenever you need to hear it, I’ll be more than happy to tell you.”  
  
It was silent for a few seconds as Brian just stood there, staring at his palm with his lips parted. Even in the darkness of the park you were walking in right now, you could see his cheeks getting a little darker from the blood rushing in. The suddenly more frequent blinking of his eyes made your heart flutter and you blushed along with him. As if he had to hold on to this as tight as he could, he balled the hand into a fist and hid it in his pocket. You chuckled at that.  
  
“That means a lot, Y/N, thank you” he smiled at you gently and began walking again. You followed him and nudged him with your elbow. “Hey, you don’t have to thank me” you denied his gratitude. You did what he had done a few minutes and looked up at the sky. “That’s Orion’s belt, isn’t it?” you changed the topic and pointed in the general direction on the night sky. The handsome guitarist leaned closer to you to see where exactly you intended to point. You hoped he couldn’t feel your heart race. “Exactly” he grinned up to the sky and you giggled a bit.  
  
“You know, I learned that from you yesterday” you smiled at him and he laughed.  
  
“Maybe I can teach you a bit more about it sometime soon?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short one, oof, but I'm back!!

“We’re here, that’s where I live” Brian said and stopped before the steps leading up to the apartment complex. You nodded and smiled gently at the guitarist. “Well, I guess that’s goodbye for now, huh?” you rambled and tried to hide the fact you didn’t really want to go yet. Brian chuckled and nodded, too. “I guess, yeah” he agreed and there was at least half a minute of silence. Excruciatingly long silence. It felt like you both wanted to say something, but neither one of you wanted to take the risk.  
  
“Thank you for tonight” he finally started, and you tilted your head.  
  
“Why? I didn’t do anything” you giggled and waved it off. He shook his head and dared to touch your arm again. You could hear your heart nearly imploding as his thumb ever so slightly stroked your bicep.  
  
“Honestly Y/N” he continued and your eyes locked. “I feel really good right now; without you I’d be kind of upset right now.”  
  
Your eyes darted to the ground and you nervously took a strand of your hair again and tucked it behind your ear. “It’s no problem, really” you mumbled and traced little circles into the ground with your tiptoes. Brian was exceptionally cute right now, speaking his mind openly like this.  
  
“Your apartment is rather far from here, isn’t it?” Brian noticed and your eyes shot up to his again. This simple question had your heart running faster than before.  
  
“Uh, y-yes, but it’s… uh” you stuttered and cursed internally for making a fool of yourself. “It’s okay, I can-“  
  
“You could come to my flat for a cup of tea” he offered and you could have sworn he had also stuttered for a brief moment. The guitarist gestured more with his hands suddenly, and it made you unable to hide a smile creeping onto your face.  
  
“I’d like that” you grinned. You had been blushing since you had started talking, so you figured he wouldn’t notice the additional butterflies in your stomach. For now, all you could think of was Brian. Prior relationships began to matter less and less to you. Even current ones. At this moment in time, all you wanted to do was get to know this gorgeous man better.  
  
With a genuine smile on his face, he unlocked the door to the apartment complex and held the door open for you, gesturing for you to come in. With a quiet “Thanks” and a racing heart, you stepped inside and let him lead you to the front door of his flat. The walk up the stairs was filled with silence, but you didn’t find it awkward at all. It was nice, hearing him breathing a little more heavily. You couldn’t help but notice his face was tinted bright red as well, now that the light from the hallway illuminated him.  
  
Once you arrived at the entrance, you inhaled deeply in anticipation as to what was going to happen. Of course, you did intend to drink some tea with him, nothing else. Right?  
  
“I’m sorry if it’s messy” he apologized as he opened the door and let you in. The first look at his apartment left you in awe. “It’s not” you assured; your eyes widened. It was beautiful. Posters of both rock bands and stellar constellations graced the walls of the little one-room flat. A half-made bed had music sheets scattered around it, some astronomy books and magazines were scattered around the room. Without saying anything, you picked up a book and let your fingers trace over the cover. Immediately, you realized how weird that must have looked, and set it aside.  
  
“Sorry” you said quickly, “I just love books, it’s kinda my job.” Relief filled you as he giggled at that and hung the scarf and his coat beside the door.  
  
“Feel free to look at as many books as you like, love” he smiled at you and took a few steps towards you. You already felt another rush of blood flood towards your face, but you turned to look at a magazine before he could notice.  
  
“What sort of tea can I bring you?” he asked and you grinned widely. You had almost forgotten what you were here for. “Whatever you drink, I’ll drink. I love any kind” you let him know and he nodded and gave you a flash of that beautiful, beautiful smile he could always capture you with. “I’ll be right back” he said and laid his hand on your arm again before leaving for the kitchen.  
  
You had hung up your coat and taken off your shoes when you sat down on a little sofa on the other side of the room when Brian came out of the room with two cups in his hands. With only a few steps of his insanely long legs he was next to you, sitting down on the sofa beside you. Your stomach fluttered. He was so close. Almost too close. He handed you your cup and you thanked him. The smell of Earl Grey filled your nose and you closed your eyes to revel in the scent. “My favourite” you remarked and took a sip of the beverage.  
  
“Really?” His eyes seemed to lighten up at that, which made you adore him even more. He was so sweet. You couldn’t believe a single little thing you said could make his eyes glimmer like that.  
  
“Yes! I used to drink it every time I visited my grandma when I was a kid” you explained with a nostalgic smile on your face. He leaned against the sofa and also took a sip. For a few moments, neither of you said anything. Rather, you just looked at each other. With every second of exchanging this glance, the more aware of it you became. Here you were, a taken woman, sitting on a stranger’s couch and – way too quickly – falling for him.  
  
“You’re really special, Y/N” Brian finally said and sent a jolt of electricity through your whole body, yet again. You immediately started fidgeting with your cup and looking down at it to finally break eye contact.  
  
“What do you mean by that?” you wanted to know and could have sworn he was sitting even closer to you by now. Had he inched more in your direction while you were looking at each other?  
  
“I don’t know, I-“ he paused for a second, seemingly searching for the right words. Suddenly, one second of this quiet felt like an eternity. Curiosity was going to get the best of you and you wanted to ask again, but the continued.  
  
“I don’t think I have ever felt so comfortable around someone” he started to explain and by now, your stomach, your heart and your brain gave in to the chaos that was happening inside you. You were on autopilot now. No thinking, no embarrassment. You were just going to see where this might take you.  
  
“Neither do I” you agreed and felt him inching closer once again. Your legs were already touching and you looked at where your bodies were in contact. You swallowed and looked up again, only to find his face just a few centimeters away from you. This felt so right. Nothing could have felt more like it was what you were supposed to do all along.  
  
“Have you drunk anything tonight?” the autopilot let you ask. He shook his head. So this wasn’t some clouded mind of a drunk person. You knew that, but somehow you seemed to want this confirmation.  
  
“So you’re aware what’s going to happen?” you asked again and he nodded and you shuddered as he laid one hand onto your face. Everything inside you was shivering, in the best way possible. In the best way you could even begin to imagine.  
  
“Y/N…” he started and you inhaled sharply at him saying your name. His lips were almost touching yours at that point. You bit your lip slightly and kept looking into his beautiful hazel eyes for a few seconds before letting your eyes wander down to where his lips were. This was all the approval he needed, since soon enough his lips met yours.  
  



End file.
